Thread cutter and clamp for knitting-machines.



A. E. STEWART., THREAD GUTTER AND CLAMP FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 10, 1911.

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THREAD GUTTER AND CLAMP FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 1o, 1911.

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Patented July 1, 1913.

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ALBERT E. STEWART, 0F FRANKLIN, NEW HAMPSHIRE, SSIGNOB T0 ACME KNIT- TING MAGHKNE ND NEEDLE CDMPANY, OF FRANKLIN, NEW HAMPSHIRE, A. COR- PORATION 0F NEW HAMPSHIRE.

THREAD CUTTER AND CLMP FUR KNITTING-MCHINES.

incassa.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented duly 1 1913.

Application med July io, i911. Yserial no. 637,600.

To Vall whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ALBERT E. STEWART, of Franklin, in the county of Merrimack and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful' Improvements in r1hread Cutters and Clamps for Knitting- Machines, of which the following is a specitication, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. .A

This invention relates to improvements in knitting machines whereby the reinforce thread may be clamped and cut by mechanism operating to release the main thread lifting or tension mechanism..

The object of the invention is to so con.- struct a device of this nature having means for engaging and pulling the reinforce thread laterally from its normal path of movement that said thread may be clamped and cut, and that the main thread lifting or tension device may be released.

The invention consists in the novel means for clamping and cutting the reinforce thread.

The invention .also consists in the novel `means for setting the thread clamping and cutting devices.

The invention also consists in the novel mechanism for releasing the thread clamping and cutting devices.

The invention also consists in such other novel features of construction and combina tion of parts as shall hereinafter be more fully described and pointedout in the claims.

Figure 1, represents a side elevation of the new thread cutter and clamp and the mechanism for operating the same mounted on the thread feed head of a knitting machine, the cam for operating the thread drawing device being shown. Fig. 2, represents a sectional view of parts of the same taken on line 2-2 Fig. 1, looking towardthe right `in said gure. Fig. 3, represents a bottom plan view of parts of the device.

Similar numbers of .reference designate corresponding parts throughout.

As shown in the drawings, in its preferred form, 5 indicates the head or frame adapted to be mounted on a knitting machine for the purpose of sustaining the thread twisting devices, said head being approximately of the construction heretofore well known. This head 5 has the member 6, in which is journaled the twister 7 having the pinion 8 and the arms 9, 9 between which a thread may be engaged when said thread is drawn laterally from within said twister. Adjacent the twister is the shaft 10, jornaled in the member 6 and having the large gear 11, in engagement with the pinion 8, andlat its outer end the cam 12. This shaft 10'is the usual and well known means employed to transmit motion to the twister. Y

On the gear case 18 of the gear 11, below the twister 7, are the projections 14, and 15 having bores in which is slidable the rod 16, having at one end the head 17 and furnished with the jaw 18 movable with said rod relative to the jaw 19 sustained by said rod 16. Jaw 18 has the pin 20, which is engaged with the cutting blade 21 pivoted on the stud 22, which latter is secured in the arm' 23 extending from the projections 14 and 15 and supports the Xed cutting blade 24 against which the blade 21 is pressed by a spring carried by said stud. The movement of the jaw 18 toward the jaw 19 and the simultaneous cutting movement of the blade 21 is effected by the coil spring 25 located in the chamber which forms the enlargement of member 15, so that a threaddrawn between said jaws 18, 19 and blades 21 and 24 ma be simultaneously clamped and cut.

he means'for moving rod 16 against the action of spring 25 to release a thread from between the jaws'18 and 19, comprises the bell crank lever 26 pivoted on the stud 27 secured in the gear case 13 and having the arm 28 bearing against r0d.16 and the arm 29 having the pivoted spring-retracted pawl 30 against which, at times,.the cam 12 of shaft 10 is adapted to act to effect the swinging of said bell crank lever 26. Provision is made for retaining the jaw 18 and blade 21 in the open position against the. action of spring 25; this comprises the latch member 31 pivotally mounted on astud extending from the member 6 and having the hook 32,

adapted to engage between head 17 of rod 16 and the projection 15, and the toothV '33.

end with the usual thread lengaging and drawing hook frame 37 whereby the reinforce thread may be engaged when said frame 37 swings upwardwith said arm 35 and said thread may be drawn downward between the jaws 18 and 19 and between the blades 21 and 24 when said arm 35 lmoves downward to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. l of the drawings. On the sleeve of arm 35 is the lever 38, having the stud 39 and the pivoted pawl 40, which latter. is adapted to engage the tooth 33 of the latch. member 3l to effect the swinging of said member 31 and the disengagement of its hook 32 from the head 17 approximately at or slightly before the arm 35 has reached the limit of its downward movement.

Provision is made for the swinging npward.' of arm 35 against the action of its spring. On the pivot 4l, secured in a stud of frame 5 is the sleeve 42 having the arms 43 and 44 of which the latter has the member 45 furnished with the pin 46. At the juncture of arm44 and member 45 is pivoted the rod 47 having the slot 48 in which is engaged the stud 89 of the thread engaging and drawing mechanism. Pivotally connected with the arm 43 is the rod 49, which is" actuated by the lever 50, the litter 5l and the cam 52 of any suitable construction and arrangement to eii'ect the positiveretraction of rod 47 and, for a limited degree in said movement determined by the length of slot 48, the corresponding movement of arm 35. Projecting Jfrom the head 5 is the stud 53 on which is pivoted the spring lifted arm 54 having the cam 55 and the finger 56) which is engaged beneath the tension rod 57, which is mounted in the pivoted block 58 and has at one end the counter weight 59 and at the other end is bent downward and furnished with the guide eye 60. Block 58 has the nger 6l which bears against the slidable spring'raised stem 52 ot the tension member 63, -so that when said Vfinger 6l presses downward on said stem 62 the tension member 63 is moved away from its 're lated member 64, xed tothe head 5, and `tension on the reinforce thread between said members 63 and 64 is relieved. llhen arm 44 isswung to permit the downward movement oi arm 35, the member 45 carriesits pin 46 toward and 1oeneath the cam 55 ot' arm 54 and, after arm 35 has reached its limit of downward movement, the rod 47, on account oij its slot 48 continues to move for a short distance while said 12in 46 engages cam 55- and acts to swing the same npward and thus to swing' downward the free end or arm 54, whereby the tension rod 57 is relieved trom the lifting action ot lnger 58 and said rod 57 may then be more readily drawn downward by thread passing through the eye 50 and, in such movement the action ot nager el on the stem 62 ot tension ber 83 tends to relieve the tension on the reinforce thread.

ln the operation ci the machine, the reinforced thread is led through the twister and through the drawing hook frame 3'? byV being slipped between the ends of the arms ot said frame. it is also to be observed that the cam 52 is of such nature that no movement of the parts will take place during the greater portion of the revolution of said cam but during about one-fourth of the revolution, movement orn the various parts will take place. Now suppose, the parts to be in a. position shown in Fig. l. Upon movement of the. cam the member 5l will drop and the lever 50 for the end carrying the member 49 lifted. rl`his will throw for ward the linlr 47 and also bring the pin 46 into contact with the cam 55. As the pin 46 contacts with the cam 55, the arm Si will be depressed and consequently release the tension between the members 63 and 64 by forcing the former downward. s this is done, the end of the slot 48 contacts with the pin 39. IThis causes the lever arm 35 to move downward and to assume the dotted line position shown in said figure. When nearly at the end of its movement, the tooth 4G engages the member 31 and forces it away from the pin i6 so that the head 17 is permitted to Vmove inward toward the projection l5, this being accomplished by the action of the spring 25. This causes the clamp 1S to move toward the clamp 19 and engage the thread. At the same time, the movable cutter blade 21 closes over the vlolade 24 by the action of the member i8, thus cutting the thread. New, when the cam has moved around to lift the pin 5l, the parts are retracted and at Vthis/time the cam l2 operates to actnate the pawl 30 and lever 29, thus forcing theV pin l5 against the action i the spring 15 and permitting the latch member 3l to drop behind the head i7 and holds the parts in the original position.

llavin thas described my invention l claim as new and desire to secure by Let-ters T Qatent-V l. rihread cnttinfr clamping means comprising a thread ister, meansiior operating said twister, a spring operated thread clamp, means acta-ated by the twister operating mechanism for moving said clamp to the open position, means for engaging and holding said clamp, thread drawing means, means actnated by said thread drawing means for releasing said clamp holding means.

2. Thread cutting clamping means comprising a threal twister mounted, .for rotating said twister, spring actuated thread clamping and cntting means, means acta-ated by the twister rotating mechanism for moving said clampeotting means t. the open position,

rotatably means for engaging and holding said clamping and cutting means in'such open position, a thread'drawing means, and means actu.- `ated by said thread drawingmeans for releasing said clamp Vholding means, substantially as described.

3. Thread cutting and clamping means of the nature described comprising a thread twister rotatably mounted, driving means for said twister, a bell crank operated in one direction through said driving means, a rod slidably mounted and havin a clamping means, a cutter having a mova le blade connected With said clamping means, a spring for moving said blade, means for engaging and holding said rod against the action of said spring, threaddrawing means, and means actuated by said thread drawing means, for releasing said holding means.

4. Thread cutting and clamping means comprising a thread twister, a rod slidably mounted below said twister and having a -headfand a clamping member, a cutter having a pivoted spring 'actuated blade con nected to move With .said clamping member means for moving said rod, a 'latch pivotally mounted with respect to said rod and adapted to hold said rod ,against the action, .of said spring, a thread drawing arm pivotally mounted and actuated in one direction by a spring, a thread engaging device carried by said arm, a pawi carried bysaid arm and adapted to engage and move said latch, and means for moving said arm positively in one direction.

ALBERT E. STEWART.

Witnesses:

A., T. CUNNINGHAM,

D., D. Snnimms. 

